Bracket Briefing: Who's the top coach left in Elite Eight?

Mar. 30, 2013
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Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim points to a player on the bench during action against California during the first half of the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at HP Pavilion. / Cary Edmondson, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson and Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson and Jesse Yomtov, USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to another session of Bracket Briefing, our attempt to provide you with essential information on the Big Dance - highlighting the Florida Gulf Coasts of basketball world, and forecasting the Butler and VCU moments before they happen.

In Friday night's thrilling Michigan-Kansas game that ended with quite possibly the shot of the tournament by Trey Burke, we witnessed a championship-winning coach, Bill Self, make what he later deemed to be "the wrong call" late in the game by choosing not to foul the Wolverines in the waning seconds. If he fouled, Burke wouldn't have made a game-tying three-pointer for the tournament's first overtime. Subsequently, the Jayhawks might be in the Elite Eight now, too.

Coach most likely to lead team to a title: The criteria for this is not based on overall wins or the best team in the field, but rather which coach can win games with his play-calling, motivating and wherewithal. And remember, considering these are the last eight teams standing, they're all elite.

1. Mike Krzyzewski, Duke: The preeminent coach of his generation. Krzyzewski has won four national championships (1991, 1992, 2001 and 2010), lost twice in the championship game and reached 11 Final Fours. He has 957 career wins, the most in NCAA history, and has won more than 75% of his tournament games.

2. Jim Boeheim, Syracuse: Boeheim sits second in career wins with 916. He's all Syracuse: He played for the Orange from 1962-66, was an assistant coach from 1969-76 and has been the head coach for more than three decades. Boeheim has reached the Final Four three times, in 1987, 1996 and 2003, and won the championship in 2003.

3. Rick Pitino, Louisville: He's one of only two coaches to lead three different teams to the Final Four, doing so with Providence, Kentucky and Louisville. (Kentucky coach John Calipari has done the same, but his Final Four trips with Massachusetts and Memphis have been vacated by the NCAA.) This year's team is Pitino's best with the Cardinals.

4. Billy Donovan, Florida: Donovan and Krzyzewski are the only two active coaches to have won back-to-back national championships â?? with Donovan winning two in a row with the Gators from 2006-7. He's now reached the Elite Eight three years in a row.

5. Gregg Marshall, Wichita State: Despite serving at two mid-major stops (Winthrop before Wichita State), Marshall has reached the NCAA tournament nine times in his 15 years as a college coach. Although seven of his previous trips ended in the first round, this year's team has knocked off No. 8 Pittsburgh, No. 1 Gonzaga and No. 13 La Salle in reaching the Elite Eight.

6. Thad Matta, Ohio State: Matta has been wildly successful at each stop, leading Butler to the second round in 2001, Xavier to the Elite Eight in 2004 and Ohio State to a pair of Final Fours, including the championship game in 2007. The Buckeyes' postseason experience has been on display over the team's two buzzer-beating wins this tournament.

7. Buzz Williams, Marquette: Williams quietly built a Big East power over his five seasons at Marquette, going 28-8 in league play over the last two seasons and winning 122 games overall at Marquette. There's a reason he's often connected with major job openings.

8. John Beilein, Michigan: Beilein has won everywhere he's been, from Erie Community College to Le Moyne to Richmond to Michigan, where he's won 119 games since 2007. While none of his Michigan teams advanced past the round of 32 before this March, Beilein led West Virginia to the Elite Eight in 2005.

- No. 4 Syracuse vs. No. 3 Marquette, 4:30 p.m. (CBS): Both Big East teams are coming off impressive wins over higher-seeded opponents. Syracuse's zone suffocating Indiana's high-scoring offense may be the lingering memory of the Sweet 16, but Marquette breaking out after two close games and trouncing Miami was equally as inspired. The Golden Eagles topped the Orange at home in late February, with Davante Gardner scoring 26 points off the bench. Read the Game Preview here.

***Star to watch: Vander Blue, Marquette. After scoring 29 in the thriller against Butler, the junior played the full 40 minutes in the win over Miami.

- No. 9 Wichita State vs. No. 2 Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. (CBS): Ohio State has won 11 in a row, including nail-biters in the last two rounds of the tournament. The Shockers kept up the mojo from the upset of No. 1 seed Gonzaga, rolling La Salle to get here. The Buckeyes have the big names, but Wichita has shared the wealth, with four players scoring in double-digits through the first three games of the tournament. Read the Game Preview here.

***Star to watch: Aaron Craft, Ohio State. Craft hit the game-winning shot against Iowa State and then set up LaQuinton Ross for the winner against Arizona.

On deck: Sunday's Elite Eight game slate. (All times Eastern).

- No. 4 Michigan vs. No. 3 Florida, 2:20 p.m. (CBS): This sounds like a football game, doesn't it? Michigan seeks its first Final Four appearance since the Fab Five led the way in 1993, while Florida tries to get over the hump after falling in the Elite Eight the last two seasons. Burke bounced back from a scoreless first half to score 23 points, including a long, never-a-doubt 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, and Michigan rallied to beat Kansas 87-85 in overtime in the South Regional semifinals Friday night.

- No. 2 Duke vs. No. 1 Louisville, 5:05 p.m. (CBS): Two of the great coaches in college hoops history square off with a trip to the Final Four on the line. The last time they met in a regional final, that whole Christian Laettner shot happened. Louisville's Russ Smith has lit it up with 27 points a game, while Duke's Seth Curry has scored 24, looking to reach the Final Four in his senior campaign. It won't get much better than this matchup.

Tweet that speaks volumes: Wichita State love.

The rundown: Sweet 16 rundown: Great defense, clutch shooting, Cinderella, future NBA stars and legendary coaches â?? the Sweet 16 had it all. Let's recap how we got to the weekend, starting with the four games from Thursday night.

- Marquette 71, Miami (Fla.) 61. The final score is misleading: Marquette was in control throughout, building a 13-point halftime lead and countering every Miami push in the final 20 minutes.

- Louisville 77, Oregon 69. No. 1 Louisville blazed past No. 12 Oregon early and cruised to a 77-69 win. The Cardinals have lived up their billing as the top-ranked team in the tournament.

- Michigan 87, Kansas 85. Thanks to Trey Burke's late-game heroics â?? first forcing overtime, then leading his team to win in extra time â?? Michigan topped Kansas 87-85 in overtime to reach the South Regional final.

- Duke 71, Michigan State 61. The Cardinals will face off against No. 2 Duke, a 71-61 winner against Michigan State. Tom Izzo's son picked Duke to win the whole thing, remember.

Quote to note: "Our respect level for Duke is as high as it gets, not only for their players, but their coach and what their program represents." - Louisville coach Rick Pitino on the first matchup against Coach K since 1992.